IRL437 Gender and PoliticsIstanbul Okan UniversityDegree Programs Industrial Engineering (English)General Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational Qualifications
Industrial Engineering (English)
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

General course introduction information

Course Code: IRL437
Course Name: Gender and Politics
Course Semester: Fall
Course Credits:
Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
3 0 3 6
Language of instruction: EN
Course Requisites:
Does the Course Require Work Experience?: No
Type of course: University / Foreign Language
Course Level:
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE:6. Master`s Degree QF-EHEA:First Cycle EQF-LLL:6. Master`s Degree
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Course Coordinator : Prof. Dr. UMUT AZAK
Course Lecturer(s): Prof. Dr. UMUT AZAK
Course Assistants:

Course Objective and Content

Course Objectives: This course aims to examine the interaction of gender relations and politics. Weekly lectures and discussions will focus on preconceptions about gender and how it intersects with major political concepts, domestic and international politics. The course will promote students’ analytical capacities, critical reasoning, critical reading and discussion of texts while developing a gender perspective on the study of politics.
Course Content: Gender and Politics; Gender and Patriarchy; Feminisms; The Control of Sexuality and Population in Traditional and Modern Societies; Gender and Representation; Gender, Citizenship and Nation-State; Gender and Islam; Women, Work and the Global Market; Gender and Political Participation.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
Learning Outcomes
1 - Knowledge
Theoretical - Conceptual
1) • Explain the interaction of gender relations and politics
2) • Identify basic concepts in gender studies
3) Analyze differences in the ways that women and men conceptualize politics and discuss theories of the social construction of gender
4) • Discuss the arguments for and against greater gender equality in different political institutions, and the mechanisms for achieving this
2 - Skills
Cognitive - Practical
3 - Competences
Communication and Social Competence
Learning Competence
Field Specific Competence
Competence to Work Independently and Take Responsibility

Lesson Plan

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) • Describe the content of the syllabus. • List the course outline • Explain the grading system evaluation methods • Discuss the flow of the course • Discuss politics as power relations • Discuss theoretical and social cultural concepts of gender Review the syllabus Read: Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan, “Gender” and “Gendered,” Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies, London: Sage, 2004, pp. 56-61. Jill Steans, Gender and International Relations: Issues, Debates and Future Directions, 2nd ed. Polity Press, 2006, pp. 7-11. Carole S. Vance, “Social Construction Theory: Problems in the History of Sexuality,” in GTW, pp. 28-31. Joan W. Scott, “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,” American Historical Review, 91 (5) December 1986, pp. 1053-75. Simone de Beauvoir, “Introduction: Woman as Other,” The Second Sex, 1949. Retrieved from www.marxists.org. Ghada Karmi, “Women, Islam and Patriarchalism,” in M. Yamani, ed., Feminism and Islamic Law, Garnet Publishing, 1996, pp.69-85
2) Defining gender None
3) • Discuss theories of patriarchy • Identify characteristics of patriarchal societies • Discuss how feminist theories define patriarchy • Evaluate whether gender is biologically determined or socially constructed • Discuss the difference between sex and gender Read: Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan, Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies, London: Sage, 2004, pp 48-46, 144-147, 105-108. Mary Wollstonecraft, “From A Vindication of the Rights of Women,” in GTW, pp. 170-2.
4) • Discuss key concepts in gender studies • Compare and contrast different strands of feminist theory • Discuss chronology of feminist theories • Discuss the differences between the waves of feminism • Evaluate the development of Black Feminist Movement within the framework of women’s movements timeline Read: Deniz Kandiyoti, “Emancipated but Unliberated? Reflections on the Turkish Case,” Feminist Studies, 13 (2) 1987, pp. 317-338. Nükhet Sirman, “Feminism in Turkey: A Short History,” New Perspectives on Turkey 3(1) 1993: 1-34. Katharina Knaus, “Turkish Women: A Century of Change,” Turkish Policy Quarterly, 6 (5) 2007: 47-59. Çağla Diner and Şule Toktaş, “Waves of Feminism in Turkey: Kemalist, Islamist and Kurdish Women’s Movements in an Era of Globalization,” Journal of Balkan & Near Eastern Studies; March 2010, 12 (1): 41-57.
5) • Discuss the historical roots of feminist movement in Turkey • Compare Kemalist, Islamist and Kurdish women’s movement in terms of their approach to the women’s rights and issues • Identify how the politics of difference has an impact on the feminist movement in Turkey • Illustrate how religious, ethnic and class differences result in the creation of alternative frameworks for feminist movement in Turkey Read: Linda Gordon, “Malthusianism,” in GTW, pp. 59-62. Anna Davin, “Imperialism and Motherhood,” in GTW, pp. 63-8. Frank Dikkoter, “Race Culture: Recent Perspectives on the History of Eugenics,” in GTW, pp. 69-71. Dicle Koğacıoğlu, “The Tradition Effect: Framing Honor Crimes in Turkey,” Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies, 15 (2) Summer 2004, pp. 119-151. Nükhet Sirman, “Kinship, Politics, and Love: Honour in Post-Colonial Contexts–The Case of Turkey,” in Shahrzad Mojab and Nahla Abdo, eds., Violence in the Name of Honour. Theoretical and Political Challenges, Istanbul: Bilgi University Press, 2004, pp. 41-56.
6) • Discuss how sexuality is controlled in traditional and modern societies via examples • Discuss different conceptualizations of sexuality • Demonstrate the relationship between power and discourse on sexuality via examples • Discuss the sources of control over women’s reproduction and their bodies Read: Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan, “Representation,” Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies, London: Sage, 2004, pp. 135-139. David Gauntlett, Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction, London and New York: Routledge, 2002, pp. 57-90. Stuart Hall, “Encoding, Decoding,” in Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, and P. Willis, eds., Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cultural Studies, London: Hutchinson, 1972–79, pp. 128–138.
7) • Illustrate how women are affected by the female objectification in the media • Discuss feminist perspectives on objectification • Identify women’s strategies for resisting objectification • Evaluate the images of femininity and masculinity conveyed through mass media • Explain how portrayal of women in the mass media produces and re-produces gender stereotypes Read: Cynthia Enloe, “Nationalism and Masculinity, in GTW, 1990, pp. 229-35. Partha Chatterjee, “Nationalism: General,” International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, pp. 10336-10340. Nira Yuval-Davis, “Gender and Nation,” in Robert L. Miller, ed., Women, Ethnicity and Nationalism : The Politics of Transition. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 1998. p 23-35. Afsaneh Najmabadi, “The Erotic Vatan [Homeland] as Beloved and Mother: To Love, to Possess, and To Protect,” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 39 (3) Jul. 1997: 442-467. . Afsaneh Najmabadi, “Hazards of Modernity and Morality: Women, State and Ideology in Contemporary Iran,” İn Deniz Kandiyoti, ed., Women, Islam, and the State, London: Macmillan, pp. 48-76. Deniz Kandiyoti, “Identity and its Discontents: Women and the Nation,” Millennium - Journal of International Studies, March 1991 (20): 429-443.
8) • Midterm Exam • Discuss theoretical and social cultural concepts of gender • Discuss how feminist theories define patriarchy • Compare and contrast different strands of feminist theory • Discuss the historical roots of feminist movement in Turkey • Discuss different conceptualizations of sexuality • Explain how portrayal of women in the mass media produces and re-produces gender stereotypes None
9) • Illustrate how modern nation state relies on the maintenance of traditional gender roles • Discuss feminist approaches to nationalism • Discuss feminist approaches to citizenship • Demonstrate the central role of sexuality in nation building • Identify feminist critiques of oppressive patriarchal nation state Read: Edward Said, “Introduction,” Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient, Penguin Books, (1978) 1995, pp. 1-28. Nilüfer Göle, The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling, University of Michigan, 1996, pp. 1-26, 93-95. Kim Shively, “Religious Bodies and the Secular State: The Merve Kavakçı Affair,” The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, 1 (3) Fall 2005, pp. 46-72. Sondra Hale, “The West and Veiling,” retrieved from the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies [electronic source]. http://www.international.ucla.edu Nadje Al-Ali, Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East: The Egyptian Women’s Movement, Port Chester, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2000, pp. 35-52.
10) Discuss Islamic feminist movement via examples • Evaluate the socio-political and cultural factors which played a role in the rise of Islamic feminism via examples from Muslim societies • Identify the conceptıalizations and critiques of feminism by Muslim women • Compare the process of the rise of Islamic feminist movement in Turkey with other Middle Eastern countries Read: Denise Walsh, “A Feminist Approach to Quotas and Comparative Politics,” Politics&Gender, 9 (3) 2013: 322-328. Check website: UN Women, “Facts and Figures: Leadership and Political Participation,” http://www.unwomen.org/co/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures
11) • Identify contemporary patterns of political participation among men and women • Discuss the social, cultural and economic barriers to women’s political participation • Evaluate whether there exists a gender gap in voting participation, cause-oriented activisim and membership of voluntary associations • Compare and contrast gender differences in the levels of political participation via examples from different countries • Discuss the measures that would ensure a more balanced gender political participation Read: Jill Steans, “Gender Dimension of International Political Economy,” Gender and International Relations: Issues, Debates and Future Directions, 2nd ed. Polity Press, 2006, pp. 78-92. Ayça Kurtoğlu and Töre Fougner, “Transnational Labour Solidarity and Social Movement Unionism: Insights from and beyond a Women Workers’ Strike in Turkey,” British Journal of Industrial Relations, 49, 2011: 353-375. Simten Coşar ve Metin Yeğenoğlu, “The AKP and the Gender Issue: Shuttling between Neoliberalism and Patriarchy,” in Simten Coşar and Gamze Yücesan-Özdemir, eds., Silent Violence: Neoliberalism, Islamist Politics and the AKP Years in Turkey, Red Quill Books, 2012, p. 179-212.
12) • Discuss key dimensions of the field of international political economy • Illustrate the relationship between the reproduction of political and economic processes and gendered bodies • Discuss how employment of women in production networks affect the dynamics of international political economy • Discuss labour market gender discrimination via examples • Evaluate postcolonial feminist interventions into political economy Read: Jill Steans, “Women’s Human Rights,” Gender and International Relations: Issues, Debates and Future Directions, 2nd ed. Polity Press, 2006, pp. 106-118.
13) • Discuss historical, political, and social contexts of women's rights and activism via examples • Compare and contrast traditional and feminist approaches to human rights • Discuss UN’s position on the issue of women’s rights with a reference to The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action • Discuss the ways of ending violations of women’s human right Read: Deniz Kandiyoti, “Cariyeler, Fettan Kadınlar ve Yoldaşlar: Türk Romanında Kadın İmgeleri,” Cariyeler, Bacılar, Yurttaşlar: Kimlikler ve Toplumsal Dönüşümler, 2. basım, İstanbul: Metis, 2007, s.147-161
14) • Discuss gendered patterns in popular culture • Identify how construction of gendered identities in popular culture affect patterns of consumerism • Illustrate the relationship between gender stereotypes and representations of women in the mass media • Discuss gender representations in consumerism via examples • Discuss feminist critiques of contemporary popular culture None
15) • Evaluate students via final paper and presentations • Explain gendered dimensions of modern nation state • Identify Islamic feminist movements • Discuss political participation from a gender perspective • Discuss feminist theorizations of international political economy • Identify the origins and development of women’s human rights • Identify gendered patterns in popular culture None

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Sara Ahmed, Feminist Bir Yaşam Sürmek. İstanbul: Sel Yayıncılık, 2018.
Robert William Connell, Toplumsal cinsiyet ve iktidar, İstanbul, Ayrıntı Yayınları

Stevens, A. (2007). Women Power and Politics. (Basingstoke: Palgrave
References: Serpil Sancar, “Türkiye’de Kadın Hareketinin Politiği: Tarihsel Bağlam, Politik Gündem ve Özgünlükler” içinde Birkaç Arpa Boyu… 21. Yüzyıla Girerken Türkiye’de Feminist Eleştirinin Birikimi, der. Serpil Sancar (İstanbul: Koç Üniversitesi Yayını, 2011): 53-109.

Williams Crenshaw, Kimberlé. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity, Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color” in The public nature of private violence (1994): 93-118.

Grewal, I. (1999) “Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Feminist Practices, Global Feminism, and Human Rights Regimes in Transnationality”, Citizenship Studies 3 (3): 337-54. Okin, S.M. (1998) ‘Feminism, Women’s Human Rights and Cultural Differences.’ Hypatia 13, (2): 32-52.

Arat, Y. 1997. ‘The Project of Modernity and Women in Turkey’, in S. Bozdoğan and R. Kasaba (eds.), Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey, Seattle and London, University of Washington Press: 95-112

Course-Program Learning Outcome Relationship

Learning Outcomes

1

2

3

4

Program Outcomes
1) Adequate knowledge in mathematics, science and engineering subjects pertaining to the relevant discipline; ability to use theoretical and applied information in these areas to model and solve engineering problems.
2) Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems; ability to select and apply proper analysis and modelling methods for this purpose.
3) Ability to design a complex system, process, device or product under realistic constraints and conditions, in such a way so as to meet the desired result; ability to apply modern design methods for this purpose. (Realistic constraints and conditions may include factors such as economic and environmental issues, sustainability, manufacturability, ethics, health, safety issues, and social and political issues according to the nature of the design.)
4) Ability to devise, select, and use modern techniques and tools needed for engineering practice; ability to employ information technologies effectively.
5) Ability to design and conduct experiments, gather data, analyse and interpret results for investigating engineering problems.
6) Ability to work efficiently in intra-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary teams; ability to work individually.
7) Ability to communicate effectively i Turkish, both orally and in writing; knowledge of a minimum of one foreign language.
8) Recognition of the need for lifelong learning; ability to access information, to follow developments in science and technology, and to continue to educate him/herself.
9) Awareness of professional and ethical responsibility.
10) Information about business life practices such as project management, risk management, and change management; awareness of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development.
11) Knowledge about contemporary issues and the global and societal effects of engineering practices on health, environment, and safety; awareness of the legal consequences of engineering solutions.

Course - Learning Outcome Relationship

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Adequate knowledge in mathematics, science and engineering subjects pertaining to the relevant discipline; ability to use theoretical and applied information in these areas to model and solve engineering problems.
2) Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems; ability to select and apply proper analysis and modelling methods for this purpose.
3) Ability to design a complex system, process, device or product under realistic constraints and conditions, in such a way so as to meet the desired result; ability to apply modern design methods for this purpose. (Realistic constraints and conditions may include factors such as economic and environmental issues, sustainability, manufacturability, ethics, health, safety issues, and social and political issues according to the nature of the design.)
4) Ability to devise, select, and use modern techniques and tools needed for engineering practice; ability to employ information technologies effectively.
5) Ability to design and conduct experiments, gather data, analyse and interpret results for investigating engineering problems.
6) Ability to work efficiently in intra-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary teams; ability to work individually.
7) Ability to communicate effectively i Turkish, both orally and in writing; knowledge of a minimum of one foreign language.
8) Recognition of the need for lifelong learning; ability to access information, to follow developments in science and technology, and to continue to educate him/herself.
9) Awareness of professional and ethical responsibility.
10) Information about business life practices such as project management, risk management, and change management; awareness of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development.
11) Knowledge about contemporary issues and the global and societal effects of engineering practices on health, environment, and safety; awareness of the legal consequences of engineering solutions.

Learning Activity and Teaching Methods

Expression
Individual study and homework
Lesson
Reading
Q&A / Discussion

Assessment & Grading Methods and Criteria

Written Exam (Open-ended questions, multiple choice, true-false, matching, fill in the blanks, sequencing)
Homework
Presentation

Assessment & Grading

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 1 % 25
Midterms 1 % 35
Final 1 % 40
total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
total % 100

Workload and ECTS Credit Grading

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 15 45
Study Hours Out of Class 15 15
Presentations / Seminar 15 30
Midterms 15 45
Final 15 30
Total Workload 165